Bhubaneswar, March 5: Uncertainty continues to plague the ambitious e-evaluation project planned by the department of higher education for evaluating this year's Plus Two science papers.

The Council of Higher Secondary Education has decided not to go ahead with the online marking of answer sheets at the e-evaluation centres.

The council had earlier decided to set up 40 e-evaluation centres, where the online marking would be done.

However, after making an assessment of the available infrastructure in colleges that were supposed to double up as e-evaluation centres, the council realised that it would be very difficult to put in place the technical set up required for the purpose.

"We found that infrastructure necessities such as LAN network, computers, servers and seating arrangements were not adequate in most colleges listed as e-evaluation centres," said CHSE chairman Basudev Chattoi.

The Council has now decided to take the help of IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for the required infrastructure for e-evaluation.

"The task of scanning and online evaluation of science papers has been entrusted to the TCS as the company has been conducting e-evaluation for Central Board of Secondary Education," said Chattoi.

After the completion of the examination for Plus Two papers in physics, chemistry, mathematics, botany and zoology, the answer sheets will be brought to the city-based Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, where technical personnel of TCS will scan and upload them to servers.

These will be then be evaluated by the teachers, who have been trained in e-evaluation. The department is also exploring if they can use the TCS offices for uploading of the answer scripts. It has asked the TCS to help them with their offices at different places in the state where good infrastructure facilities are available.

Once available on the server, the chief examiners can download soft copies and hand over those to examiners for evaluation. Chattoi said that adequate security arrangements were being ensured to check any foul play in evaluation.

Each chief examiner will be given a password for the uploading of the answer scripts.

Plus Two theory examinations have started from yesterday A total of 3,72,000 examinees are taking the test at 1,092 exam centres across the state. While the science and arts exams have already started, commerce exams will begin from tomorrow. Exams for vocational papers will begin on March 18.